First of all, I would like to thank the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer for hosting us here in Brussels, and for inviting me to take part in this celebration, which feels especially significant this year as we mark ten years since the launch. My thanks also go to the institutions, associations, researchers, patients and all those present today. And above all, thank you to the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) for launching this forum ten years ago, placing cancer research at the centre of public attention at a time when many still viewed it as something confined to labs and distant from everyday life.
So, how do we see cancer research today? How do we understand it? We see it as something that belongs to all of us.
Over the past ten years, you have focused on bringing people together, recognising the value of high quality healthcare and treatments, nurturing scientific talent, and building collaborative research networks across borders to improve survival rates. Today, we are more aware than ever that prevention and early detection are among the most effective tools we have against cancer, and that innovation has significantly improved patients’ quality of life and survival rates.
Patients themselves have also become active partners in research. Through initiatives such as the EORTC Quality of Life Groups and the AECC Patient Advocacy Program, both organisations have helped place patients’ at the center. As you so rightly stated: “Evaluating how long patients live is just as important as assessing how well they live.”
"...Research is already transforming lives and saving them every day. But if we want this progress to continue, it must be supported by sustained investment, strong public-private collaboration and, above all, by universal access. Cancer does not discriminate; it does not care where we are born, where we live, or what resources we have. We cannot allow scientific progress to become a source of social inequality...."
Research is no longer a promise for the future. Research is already transforming lives and saving them every day. But if we want this progress to continue, it must be supported by sustained investment, strong public-private collaboration and, above all, by universal access. Cancer does not discriminate; it does not care where we are born, where we live, or what resources we have. We cannot allow scientific progress to become a source of social inequality.
And here I would like to pay special attention to childhood cancer, which deserves a dedicated focus not only because of its low incidence, but also because it affects children at a stage of life when their futures are only beginning to unfold.
Today, we understand the biology of cancer better than ever before. Precision medicine is becoming a reality. Targeted therapies have transformed treatment approaches. Major breakthroughs in immunotherapy have opened new possibilities, and advanced therapies continue to emerge. Patients now have access to a wider range of treatments that are not only more effective but often less harmful.
In summary, today we understand cancer far better than ever before and, following Marie Curie’s famous reflection, the more we understand, the less we should fear. But above all, and it´s me who emphasizes this point, we must do a better job at preventing cancer.
All of this progress has been made possible thanks to your commitment and dedication. Scientific innovation, digital technologies, genomics and international collaboration offer unprecedented opportunities to keep moving forward. And now we have another powerful tool at our disposal: artificial intelligence. It brings speed, efficiency and new insights, but I am convinced that it will always need your expertise, judgement and leadership to guide it.
There is much work to be done, and we must pursue it with responsibility and urgency. Cancer research does not have the luxury of time, and neither do we. So now it’s your turn, the turn of those who are trully at the heart of this story. Thank you very much.